Historical Development of Anthropology

Historical Development of Anthropology:

1 Early Beginnings (Pre-19th Century):

• • Anthropology’s origins can be traced back to early human curiosity about the nature of human differences. However, before the 19th century, the study of humanity was often embedded within philosophy, history, and geography.
  • Thinkers like Herodotus and Plato speculated about human societies, cultures, and races. Exploration and colonialism also spurred the collection of cultural data from different regions.

2 Enlightenment and Early Modern Period (17th-18th Century):

• • During the Age of Enlightenment, a more scientific approach began to take shape. Scholars like John Locke, Montesquieu, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau contributed to ideas about culture, human nature, and society.
  • Early travel accounts and natural history also started shaping a more systematic approach to understanding diverse peoples.

3 The 19th Century – Anthropology as a Discipline:

• • The 19th century marks the formalization of anthropology as a distinct academic discipline. This period saw the development of evolutionary theory, particularly through figures like Charles Darwin, which influenced anthropologists to view human societies and cultures as products of evolutionary processes.
  • The emergence of anthropology is often associated with figures like Edward Burnett Tylor (who developed the theory of cultural evolution) and Franz Boas (considered the father of American anthropology), who championed a more empirical and comparative approach to understanding cultures, stressing cultural relativism and the importance of fieldwork.
  • In Europe, Marcel Mauss and Émile Durkheim made significant contributions to the study of society, with Durkheim laying the foundations for sociology, which overlaps with anthropology.

4 Early to Mid-20th Century:

• • The early to mid-20th century saw the development of more specialized methodologies and theories within anthropology, particularly ethnography as the primary research method. Malinowski and Boas’ students (such as Ruth Benedict and Margaret Mead) emphasized participant observation and fieldwork in diverse communities.
  • Structuralism, led by figures like Claude Lévi-Strauss, focused on understanding the underlying structures of cultures and the human mind, while functionalism (e.g., Bronislaw Malinowski) emphasized the role of culture in fulfilling social needs.

5 Late 20th Century to Present:

• • The latter half of the 20th century saw debates on methodology, ethics, and the role of the anthropologist in society. Postmodernism and interpretive anthropology questioned the objectivity of anthropological research, emphasizing the influence of the anthropologist’s perspective and recognizing the power dynamics involved in cross-cultural research.
  • Feminist anthropology also emerged, focusing on the role of gender in shaping cultures and anthropological studies.
  • The field began to engage more with contemporary issues like globalization, environmental concerns, and political power structures.